DAN CEARNS The Standard
Checking out the international news of late has led me to believe this world is slipping back into a dangerous game.
As we all know, Russia is in the third year of its war, as it attempts to conquer and occupy Ukraine. Both countries have been claiming and taking over territory, and from the sounds of it, if a peace deal were to come, Russia would want Ukraine to live with some of Russia’s gains. Of course, there’ll be a heavy bill for Ukraine and still a significant cost for Russia, to rebuild their infrastructure after.
Since that war started, populations around the world have begun to experience the wearing effect of this historical event. Public opinion has become slightly more jaded, unfortunately siding more easily with aggressors.
Almost as a cascading effect, Covid acted as a precursor, contributing to the hardening of peoples attitudes, channelling peoples expectations toward a less secure and a more 'circle the wagons' mentality. Consequently, attitudes have become more open to talking about China having more legitimacy, if they wanted to take back Taiwan with military force. This would lead to countless deaths and would convey further, the idea, no sovereign nation is truly safe from being invaded.
We’ve already seen the heavy impact a war, like the one between Israel and Hamas, can have.
Now let’s go to the United States. Since new President Donald Trump has been elected, he’s been musing about taking back the Panama Canal for American use, has made repeated references of trying to make Canada “the 51st state” and has not ruled out using military force to make Greenland a part of the United States. With Canada, President Trump has also threatened to impose punishing tariffs on this country, to try to meet his stronger border agenda.
Next, the threat of 'growing nuclear superpower' North Korea can’t be dismissed. The ongoing threats, between them and their southern counterparts, seem to keep ramping up. Additionally, leader Kim Jong-Un has threatened, in the past, their missiles are able to reach targets in the United States. They have already sent their soldiers to assist Russia in their war against Ukraine.
For a world which has seen relative peace for a number of years, it’s starting to feel like there’s a growing anxiety of instability.
If anyone has ever played the board game Risk, it seems to be the way world leaders are treating things. The more territory which can be gobbled up for use, the better, at least in their perception. Right now, I hope peace wins out.
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